Apple's iPhone 16 lineup has already been rumored to arrive on time in September, despite the Apple Intelligence suite reportedly being delayed until October.
Ahead of the phones' release, Samsung and LG have started mass production of display panels for the upcoming iPhone 16 models.
According to sources in Korea, Apple has ordered 80 million panels from Samsung and 43 million from LG. Apple's iPhone 16 shipments this year are estimated at around 90 million, so it seems the company has ordered around 30% more panels than that.
The Korean supply chain has “confirmed” that Samsung and LG are currently producing panel production normally based on this order volume. Both companies will benefit from Apple's orders, with improved performance in the second half of this year.
According to reports, the Korean supply chain believes that the iPhone 16 series, the first to ship with Apple Intelligence, will convince many people to upgrade to these models, creating “massive demand” for them.
LG will be the main beneficiary of this development, with its panel supply increasing by around 10 million compared to last year, and a more than 30% slice of the pie that it shares with Samsung. This is also said to be the first time that LG has executed its production schedule without delay, which should also help improve its performance.
In 2022 and 2023, LG's delays in starting mass production of iPhone OLED panels led to Samsung being the sole supplier of initial volume at launch.
On the other hand, Samsung's numbers haven't increased substantially (as far as Apple's orders for iPhones are concerned) compared to previous years, but it has a larger share of panels for the more expensive Pro and Pro Max, so its revenues should increase. Of all the panels supplied by Samsung, those for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max account for about 60%.
As for Chinese company BOE, it is apparently having difficulty getting approved to supply the iPhone 16 family, so it could stay away from this generation.
Source (in Korean)